The first guest in the “Five Friends Master Class Series”—honoring the lives of Chris Carducci, Garth Eppley, Georgina Joshi, Zachary Novak, and Robert Samels—is composer Joseph Schwantner, one of the most prominent American composers today. He will visit the Jacobs School for a mini-residency in the Composition Department Oct. 22-25. A public guest lecture by the composer will be presented at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 in Sweeney Hall, and two of his works will be featured in the New Music Ensemble concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 in Auer Hall. These events are free and open to the public.

Known for his dramatic and unique style and as a gifted orchestral colorist, Schwantner is one of the most prominent American composers today. He received his musical and academic training at the Chicago Conservatory and Northwestern University, and has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and the Yale School of Music.

His compositional career has been marked by many awards, grants, and fellowships, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for his orchestral composition “Aftertones of Infinity” and several Grammy nominations.

Among his many commissions is his Percussion Concerto, which was commissioned for the 150th anniversary season of the New York Philharmonic and is one of the most performed concert works of the past decade. Christopher Lamb, soloist in the new Naxos recording of Schwantner’s music by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, received a 2012 Grammy Award for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo” with the concerto.